STEMming on the occasion of International Women’s Day
On Saturday, March 8, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, WomenTechIceland and several partners hosted the annual STEMming event at Vinnustofa Kjarval, welcoming over 100 guests from the STEM sector.
The event was moderated by Ósk Heiða Sveinsdóttir, board member of WomenTechIceland and Director of Customer Service at Pósturinn.
STEMming is a technology community event that brings together the majority of STEM organizations in Iceland to celebrate women, non-binary, and gender diverse people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The purpose of the event is to create new connections, foster networking, and celebrate the day and diversity within the STEM community in Iceland.
Ósk Heiða was the master of ceremonies for the event and inspired everyone with her opening speech, where she spoke about the power of daring and the importance of strong role models, especially in the so-called STEM disciplines, (i.e. academic disciplines in the fields of science, , technology, engineering, maths, computer science and natural sciences).
“It’s no secret that in these sectors we need diverse role models and there is room for all voices,” Ósk Heiða says with emphasis. “They need to be heard, they need a place at the table.”
Get your goals sent to you in the mail
According to Ósk, the purpose of the event was to have a celebratory time together and connect with others. She therefore emphasized that no one should go home after it ends without having spoken to at least four strangers.
“Given the energy in the room and how well the conversations went, I think most of the attendees achieved this goal.”
Ósk also introduced a special treat, that encouraged participants to inspire their future selves. “I brought postcards and encouraged everyone to write a message on a postcard with a few goals they would like to achieve in the coming weeks. The goals didn’t have to be complicated; for example, reading more books, trying yoga, or simply having more quiet Sunday mornings. I also brought envelopes that the postcards were put in, and people wrote their names and addresses on the envelopes. Then my colleagues at Pósturinn will deliver these in the near future. The thing is, if we write down our goals, they are more likely to come true, especially if we receive them unexpectedly in the mail.”
The annual event was launched in 2024 and became part of the Kvennaár series of events this year. It was sponsored by Vinnustofa Kjarval, EDIH-IS - Miðstöð stafrænnar nýsköpunar, Taktikal, and Steindal ehf.
STEM community partners included: Ský (The Icelandic Computer Society) and UTmessan, Konur í Orkumálum (KÍÓ), Women in Immersive Tech Iceland (WIITI), VERTOnet, Samtökin ‘78, Ada - Women and non-binary in Tech at the University of Iceland, /sys/tur at Reykjavik University, Ungar athafnakonur (Young Professional Women in Iceland), ADA konur, and Iceland Innovation Week.
